The Science of Early Childhood Development - Center on the Developing ...
The Science of
Early Childhood
Development
Closing the Gap Between
What We Know and What We Do
Council Members
Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D., Chair
Julius B. Richmond FAMRI Professor
of Child Health and Development
Director, Center on the Developing Child,
Harvard University
W. Thomas Boyce, M.D.
Sunny Hill Health Centre/BC Leadership
Chair in Child Development
Professor, Graduate Studies and Medicine,
University of British Columbia, Vancouver
Judy Cameron, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh
Senior Scientist, Oregon National
Primate Research Center
Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience
and Obstetrics & Gynecology,
Oregon Health and Science University
Greg Duncan, Ph.D.
Edwina S. Tarry Professor of Human
Development and Social Policy
Faculty Fellow, Institute for Policy Research,
Northwestern University
Nathan A. Fox, Ph.D.
Professor of Human Development,
University of Maryland College Park
William Greenough, Ph.D.
Swanlund Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry,
and Cell and Developmental Biology
Director, Center for Advanced Study at
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Megan Gunnar, Ph.D.
Regents Professor and Distinguished
McKnight University Professor,
Institute of Child Development,
University of Minnesota
Eric Knudsen, Ph.D.
Edward C. and Amy H. Sewall
Professor of Neurobiology,
Stanford University School of Medicine
Charles A. Nelson, Ph.D.
Richard David Scott Chair in Pediatric
Developmental Medicine Research,
Children¡¯s Hospital Boston
Professor of Pediatrics,
Harvard Medical School
Deborah Phillips, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology and Associated
Faculty, Public Policy Institute
Co-Director, Research Center
on Children in the U.S.,
Georgetown University
Ross Thompson, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology,
University of California, Davis
Contributing Members
Susan Nall Bales
President, FrameWorks Institute
James J. Heckman, Ph.D.
Henry Schultz Distinguished
Service Professor of Economics,
University of Chicago
Bruce S. McEwen, Ph.D.
Alfred E. Mirsky Professor
Head, Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch
Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology,
The Rockefeller University
Arthur J. Rolnick, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President and Director of Research,
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Council Partners
The FrameWorks Institute
The Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute
Pat Levitt, Ph.D.
Professor of Pharmacology
Annette Schaffer Eskind Chair and
Director, Kennedy Center for Research
on Human Development,
Vanderbilt University
The National Conference of State Legislatures
Betsy Lozoff, M.D.
Professor of Pediatrics, University of
Michigan Medical School
Research Professor, Center for
Human Growth and Development,
University of Michigan
The Pierre and Pamela Omidyar Fund
Council Sponsors
The Buffett Early Childhood Fund
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Suggested citation: The Science of Early Childhood Development. (2007)
National Scientific Council on the Developing Child.
? January 2007 NATIONAL SCIENTIFIC COUNCIL ON THE DEVELOPING CHILD
Second Printing¡ªNovember 2007
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Executive Summary
T
he future of any society depends on its ability to foster the health and well-being of the next
generation. Stated simply, today¡¯s children will become tomorrow¡¯s citizens, workers, and parents. When we invest wisely in children and families, the next generation will pay that back
through a lifetime of productivity and responsible citizenship. When we fail to provide children with what they need to build a strong foundation for healthy and productive lives, we put our
future prosperity and security at risk.
Two recent developments have stimulated growing public discussion about
the right balance between individual and shared responsibility for that strong
foundation. The first is the explosion of research in neurobiology that clarifies the extent to which the interaction between genetics and early experience
literally shapes brain architecture. The second is the increasingly recognized
need for a highly skilled workforce and healthy adult population to confront
the growing challenges of global economic competition and the rising costs of
Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for the aging baby boomers.
In an effort to identify those aspects of development that are accepted broadly by the scientific community, the National Scientific Council, based at the
Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, brought together
several of the nation¡¯s leading neuroscientists, developmental psychologists,
pediatricians, and economists. This document presents their critical review
of the existing literatures in their fields and a consensus about what we now
know about development in the early childhood years. The objective of the Council is to move beyond
the public¡¯s fascination with ¡°the latest study¡± and focus on the cumulative knowledge of decades of research that has been subjected to rigorous and continuous peer review. The goal of this document is to
help the public and its policy makers understand the core principles of that body of work that are now
sufficiently accepted across the scientific community to warrant public action.
It is our hope and belief that better public understanding of the rapidly growing science of early
childhood and early brain development can provide a powerful impetus for the design and implementation of policies and programs that could make a significant difference in the lives of all children. Without that understanding, investments that could generate significant returns for all of society stand the
risk of being rejected or undermined. Thus, there is a compelling need for scientists to share with the
public and its representatives an objective basis for choosing wisely among competing demands on limited resources.
This paper is designed to provide a framework within which this complex challenge can be addressed
most effectively. Its goal is to promote an understanding of the basic science of early childhood development, including its underlying neurobiology, to inform both public and private sector investment in
young children and their families. To this end, the paper presents a set of core developmental concepts
that have emerged from decades of rigorous research in neurobiology, developmental psychology, and
the economics of human capital formation, and considers their implications for a range of issues in policy and practice.
Core Concepts of Development
??Child development is a foundation for community development and economic development, as capable
children become the foundation of a prosperous and sustainable society.
??Brains are built over time.
??The interactive influences of genes and experience literally shape the architecture of the developing brain,
and the active ingredient is the ¡°serve and return¡± nature of children¡¯s engagement in relationships with
their parents and other caregivers in their family or community.
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??Both brain architecture and developing abilities are built ¡°from the bottom up,¡± with simple circuits
and skills providing the scaffolding for more advanced circuits and skills over time.
??Toxic stress in early childhood is associated with persistent effects on the nervous system and stress
hormone systems that can damage developing brain architecture and lead to lifelong problems in
learning, behavior, and both physical and mental health.
??Creating the right conditions for early childhood development is likely to be more effective and less
costly than addressing problems at a later age.
Implications for Policy and Practice
??Policy initiatives that promote supportive relationships and rich
learning opportunities for young children create a strong foundation for higher school achievement followed by greater productivity
in the workplace and solid citizenship in the community.
??Substantial progress toward this goal can be achieved by assuring
growth-promoting experiences both at home and in communitybased settings, through a range of parent education, family support,
early care and education, preschool, and intervention services.
??When parents, informal community programs, and professionally
staffed early childhood services pay attention to young children¡¯s
emotional and social needs, as well as to their mastery of literacy and
cognitive skills, they have maximum impact on the development of
sturdy brain architecture and preparation for success in school.
??When basic health and early childhood programs monitor the development of all children, problems that require attention can be
identified in a timely fashion and intervention can be provided.
??The basic principles of neuroscience and the technology of human
skill formation indicate that later remediation for highly vulnerable children will produce less favorable outcomes and cost more
than appropriate intervention at a younger age.
??The essence of quality in early childhood services is embodied in the expertise and skills of the staff
and in their capacity to build positive relationships with young children. The striking shortage of welltrained personnel in the field today indicates that substantial investments in training, recruiting, compensating, and retaining a high quality workforce must be a top priority.
??Responsible investments in services for young children and their families focus on benefits relative
to cost. Inexpensive services that do not meet quality standards are a waste of money. Stated simply,
sound policies seek maximum value rather than minimal cost.
The need to address significant inequalities in opportunity, beginning in the earliest years of life, is
both a fundamental moral responsibility and a critical investment in our nation¡¯s social and economic future. Thus, the time has come to close the gap between what we know (from systematic scientific inquiry
across a broad range of disciplines) and what we do (through both public and private sector policies and
practices) to promote the healthy development of all young children. The science of early childhood development can provide a powerful framework for informing sound choices among alternative priorities
and for building consensus around a shared plan of action. The well-being of our nation¡¯s children and
the security of its future would be well-served by such wise choices and concerted commitment.
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The Science of
Early Childhood Development
T
he future of any society depends on its ability to foster the health and well-being of the next
generation. Stated simply, today¡¯s children will become tomorrow¡¯s citizens, workers, and
parents. When we fail to provide children with what they need to build a strong foundation for healthy and productive lives, we
put our future prosperity and security at risk.
Science has a lot to offer about how we as a community can use our collective resources most effectively and
efficiently to build that strong foundation. When we invest wisely in children and families, the next generation
will pay that back through a lifetime of productivity and
responsible citizenship. When we do not make wise investments in the earliest years, we will all pay the considerable costs of greater numbers of school-aged children who need special education and more adults who
are under-employable, unemployable, or incarcerated.
Two recent developments have stimulated growing
public discussion about the right balance between individual and shared responsibility for child well-being.
The first is the explosion of research in neuroscience
and other developmental sciences that highlights the
extent to which the interaction between genetics and
early experience creates either a sturdy or weak foundation for all the learning, behavior, and health that
follow. The second is the increasingly recognized need for a highly skilled workforce and healthy adult
population to confront the growing challenges of global economic competition and the rising costs of
Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for the aging baby boomers.
Most policy makers who face decisions among competing actions lack both the time and means to
secure sound scientific advice about which investments offer the greatest potential value and what program elements are critical to their effectiveness. Those same policy makers must explain their decisions
to business executives and civic leaders who hold a wide range of beliefs about child-rearing and developmental influences. Without better public understanding of the science of early childhood and brain
development, policies and programs that could make
a significant difference in the lives of children and all
of society stand the risk of being rejected or undermined. Thus, there is a compelling need to educate
the public and its representatives about how to choose
wisely among competing demands.
For some, the most important decisions focus on the
allocation of resources among alternative approaches
defined by need (e.g., universal versus targeted investments) or age (e.g., pre-K for four-year-olds versus parent support programs beginning at birth). Others move quickly to questions about the relative merits of different program models. Some are interested
primarily in the results of benefit-cost analyses. Others view the reduction of inequalities in opportunity
When we invest wisely in
children and families, the next
generation will pay that back
through a lifetime of productivity
and responsible citizenship.
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